Officials Announce Suspected Cause of Condo Complex Blaze

Probably, a cigarette improperly disposed of in a pile of mulch was the reason for a four-alarm fire that claimed a man’s life Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office.

Brookside Condominium Complex at 1 Arizona Terrace began bursting into flames around 4 a.m. Despite the best efforts of fire fighters, the blaze raged on for at least four and a half hours.

At minimum, 36 condo units were damaged or destroyed.

“The situation was completely avoidable,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan. “The fire started because someone carelessly disposed of smoking materials, most likely a cigarette. It appears that mulch caught fire and the flames quickly spread to a wooden balcony and stairway.”

Flammable mulch had been placed around the building closer than the state-mandated 18-inch barrier, and the building owner will receive a non-criminal citation.

Mulch is notoriously flammable, and similar past fires have been the result of cigarettes discarded in a careless manner.

“Mulch.....can be easily ignited by improperly discarded smoking materials,” said Arlington Fire Chief Robert Jefferson.

“The risk is that what starts as a small outdoor mulch fire can quickly spread to buildings. A mulch fire can be well underway before someone notices or is alerted by smoke alarms, as happened with this terrible fire.”

A meeting for impacted condo residents and owners has been scheduled for Tuesday evening. Town officials ask that sympathetic residents hold off on donations for the time being.

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